Potato-cutting machine



Mm". 261, 1923. 2 11,449,26Q

H. L. BEUCLER v POTATO CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 12, 1922 s sheets-sheet 5 H L fieac/er' INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESS.

Man". 20*, 1923.

- H. 1.. BEUCLER POTATC CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 12, 1922 5 sheets-sheet 2 4/ I 46 4 47 44 3'9 4/ 1 5' M 1 1 )1 .1 V I 1 Hi fie z/c/er INVENTOVR WITNESS:

ATTORNEY Mart. 2(0), 1923. 1,449,260

H. L. BEUCLER POTATO CUTTING MACHINE WITNESS:

Patented ll/lar. 2 9, 1923.

HARVEY L. BEU" Application filed July 12,

To all whom it may concern. Be it known that I, HARVE a citizen of the United Lake Park, in

CLER, OF LAKEPAEK, ItIINNESOTA.

?OTATO-CUTTI1\T G MACHINE.

Y L. BEUOLER,

States, residing at the county of Becker and State of Minnesota, have invented new and in Potato Cutting following is a speci potato cutters the provision of novel automatic feed means designed for use in connection with or machine disclosed in my as part of the cutting own Patent 1, i22,731, issued. July 11, 1922.

By reference to this prior patent it will.

be seen that the machine is for the purpose of cutting potatoes for the purpose of providing into a plurality of pieces seed the principal advantage beingthe rapiditywithwhich the work may be accomplish being power driven.

The object of the ed, the device present device is to provide power driven automatic feed means for feeding the potatoes to the hopper of the cutter so that manual labor and personal a tention of an operator will be An additional object is the device of this character which and inexpensive in manufa unnecessary. provision of a will be simple cture, efficient and durable in use and a general improvement in the art.

With the above and othe advantages in in the details r objects and view the invention consists of construction to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in in which the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my machine equipped with the automatic feed means,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the complete machine,

Figure 3 is a plan view,

Figure 4 is an end view,

Figure 5 is a cross section,

Figure 6 is an elevation 0 side.

Referring more ings, I have shown my ing a hopper 10 mounted tangular frame 11 which connected by cross bars 13.

f the opposite particularly to the drawdevice as compris top of a rec- :includes sides 12 This frame 11 is supported upon suitable legs 14. The construction is such that the top 10 is open, the bottom of the and both ends of the frame cated within the hopper is a of the hopper frame is open,

are open. Lo- V-shaped debolt 29 which passes through the block 22.

operates.

1922. Serial No. 574,540.

23 slidable upon the guide rods 17. Theends of the block 22 are formed with intersecting grooves 24 disposed opposite to and in position to conformingly engage upon or against intersecting die strips or blades 25 secured within the open ends of the frame 11. Secured to this block 22 are elongated strips or fingers 26' which are adapted to project beyond the ends of the frame when the carriage is moved by the means to be described.

In order to effect movement of the carriage, I provide a link bar 27 which is pivoted at one end upon the crank 20 and which has its other end formed with an elongated slot 28 through which passes a One side of the frame is provided with an elongated slot 29 through which the bolt Located at the inner faces of the sides 12 of the frame, at the ends thereof, are upright plates 30 formed with ears or lugs 31 pivotally connected with the frame, as shown at 32, and connected with these lugs or ears are coil springs 33 which are also connected with suitable stationary pins or bolts 34 carried by the frame at the intermediate portion thereof. Normally, the springs 33 operate to hold the plates 30 in such position that they converge outwardly with respect to the ends of the frame.v All this above described mechanism. constitutes part of my allowed application referred to at the beginning of the specification.

In carrying out the present invention I make the hopper 10 of peculiar construction and provide it with automatic feed means. The bottom of the hopper is formed with a V-shaped central portion 35 from which lead upwardly and outwardly inclined boards or plates 36 which are formed with slots 37 at the outer ends of which are relatively large openings 38 and at the-inner ends of which are small laterally extending openings 39. is formed with a chute 40 which facilitates pouring into the hopper the potatoes to be cut.

J ournaled transversely of the hopper somewhat'near the ends thereof are shafts 41 upon which are secured disks 42 which are mounted within the slots Each disk carries upon its periphery a hook 43 and has pivoted upon its side a latch 44 which has one end heavier than the other so as to normally remain in a certain position with respect to the hook. This latch has its end toward the hook formed with a right angular extension 45 bearing against the inner side of the hook, this extension being provided with a lip 46 engaging within the bill of the hook. Secured upon each inclinedendportion 36 of the hopper bottom at the juncture of the slot 37 with the large opening 88 is a trip 47 which is located in position to be engaged by the latch 44 when the d sk 42 is rotated. P I

Secured upon the projecting ends of the shafts 41 are sprockets 48 and 49. Secured upon the shaft -18 of the main portion of the machine is a sprocket 50 about which is trained a chain 51 which is also trained over the sprocket 48 under the sprocket 49 and overan idler sprocket 52 mounted upon one side of the hopper.

' central portion 35 of The operation of the device is as follows: The pulley 19, and consequently the shaft 18, is driven by any suitable means, whereupon the movement of the crank 20 will re-' suit in corresponding movement of the link bar 27 and this will cause the carriage to move back and forth within the frame, the tubular members 23 being guided by the rods 17. The potatoes through the chute 40 into the hopper 10 and owing to the provision of the V-shaped the bottom of the hopper the potatoes will pass toward the disks 42. When the shaft 18 is rotated the shafts 41 will be correspondino'ly rotated. At each ro ation of each disk 42 the hook 48 thereon will stick into a potato and carry it along upwardly and toward the end of the hop er, the -atch 44 being; in such position that its lip 46 is within the bill of the hook behind the potato. As rotation continues the latch 44 will strike the associated trip 47 whereupon the latch will be swung which will cause the potato to be forced ofl from the hook so that it will fall through the opening 38 into the body of the machine. Of course both disks and their associated parts operate in identically the same manner.

As the carriage is reciprocated as above One side wall of the hopper to be out :are poured they are forced-through the die blades or strips. As the block 22 is retracted from the die blades at either end of the frame, the fingers 26 associated with the block will operate to prevent the potatoes from falling through the frame. As the carriage makes its opposite stroke the fingers are retracted which will cause ofl so that they may fall into any convenient receptacles placed at the ends of the device. As both ends of the device are the same and as potatoes are fed into both ends thereof the cut pieces to be scraped by the action of the feeding disks above described it is apparent that there will be no idle strokes. I

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it will be apparent that I have thus provided a simply constructed and consequently inexpensive potato cutter having a rapid action and having automatic feed means which will eliminate all necessity for manual operation or personal attention of the operator. Owing to the simplicity of the construction and the fewness of the parts it is apparent that there will be nothing-to get out of order so that the device should have a long life.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts as will not depart from the spirit of the invention or the scope of Having thus claim: I

1. Ina machine of the character described including cutting means, feeding means comprising a hopper having its bottom formed with slots leading into large and small openings, shafts journaled transversely of the the subjoined claims. described my invention 1 hopper near the ends thereof, drive means for rotating said shaft in opposite directions, disks on said shafts operating within'said slots, hooks on said disks adapted to pick up potatoes within the hopper, said hooks operating through said openings during rotation of the disks and means for'automatieally kicking off the potatoes through the having its bottom formed hopper near the ends thereof, drive means for rotating said shaft in opposite directions, disks on said shafts operating within said slots, hooks on said disks adapted to pick up potatoes within the hopper, said hooks operating through said openings during rotation of the disks and means for automatically kicking off the potatoes through the larger openings, said means con sisting of latch members pivoted upon the disks and engaging within the hooks behind the potatoes, and means for swinging said latch members when said hooks approach said larger openings.

In a machine of the character described including stationary cutting means, a reciprocating plunger cooperating therewith a drive shaft for operating the latter, feeding means comprising a hopper having its bottom formed with slots leading into large and small openings, shafts journaled transversely of the hopper near the ends thereof, drive means associated with said first named shaft and said last named shafts for rotating the latter in opposite directions, disks on said last named shafts operating within said slots, hooks on said dis-ks adapted to pick up potatoes within the hopper, said hooks operating through said openings during rotation of the disks and means for automatically kicking off the potatoes through the larger openings, said means consisting of latch members pivoted upon each disk and formed at one end with a lip engaging Within the bill of the hook behind a potato impaled thereon, and a stationary trip mounted upon the bottom portion of the hopper at the juncture of the slot with the larger opening and engaged by the latch during rotation of the disk whereby to force the potato off from the hook.

4. In a machine of the character described including cutting means, feeding means comprising a hopper having its bottom formed with slots, shafts journaled transversely of the hopper, means for rotating said shafts outwardly, disks on said shafts operating within said slots and carrying hooks adapted to pick up potatoes within the hopper and means adjacent said slots for kicking off the potatoes through the slots.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HARVEY L. BEUCLER. 

